Each model by Dennis Vella captures the warship at a single moment in its history. Photos: Darrin Zammit Lupi

At first glance, Dennis Vella’s models of naval warships look like the sort of plastic model kits most children have assembled at some point in their lives.

But Mr Vella’s creations are another beast altogether: intricately-detailed wooden scale replicas all crafted by hand, entirely from scratch.

A retired airline worker and self-confessed military history nut, Mr Vella said it took him nearly 200 hours of work to build a single destroyer, the smallest class of vessel in his collection, not including the countless hours spent studying plans and poring over old history books.

For larger vessels, the work can take even longer. His model of the HMS Hood, a 1920 battlecruiser that he describes as his favourite vessel of all time, clocked in at a remarkable 650 hours.

“This is my life,” said Mr Vella.

“You need to have a deep love for the subject. I always go to watch ships coming in, and I’ve met many of the people [on board]. I was even invited when we had the Admiralty in Malta.”

Mr Vella first started experimenting with Airfix models as a child, after his cousin showed him a “beautiful” model of the HMS Hood 55 years ago, but he quickly grew dissatisfied with the limited options available in the kits.

His very first ‘scratchbuilt’ model, constructed when he was just 16, was the 18th century HMS Victory, famous for its role in the Battle of Trafalgar.

I always go to watch ships coming in

“The subject is so vast that you can’t do everything. So I decided to focus on 20th century models, starting with 1900 when HMS Dreadnought was launched. Then I got a wake-up call with the Falklands and the Gulf War and decided to update my collection to the year 2000.”

Mr Vella said his models were all built to a scale of 1:192, where one inch on the model represents 16 feet on the warship.

Each model captures the warship at a single moment in its history, with details such as marking and gun positions all minutely researched.

Plans are sourced from international dealers, and Mr Vella regularly takes trips to places like the Maritime Museum in London to cross-reference with photographs and models.

His own models are built mainly from softwood like balsa, while details like artillery, sometimes as small as 0.5mm, are crafted in brass.

Although models similar to his have fetched as much as €2,000 apiece overseas, Mr Vella said he could never bear to part with his ships. He has also turned down invitations to exhibit overseas out of fear of his models being damaged in transit.

“It’s not cheap. And all the hours I’ve spent... My wife tells me I’m wasting time – she’s entitled to her opinion,” he said with a laugh.

“But the best is the satisfaction I feel at having made something like this myself.”